San Fran MTA and Public Workers Complete Bargaining Prep at WWW

Members of IAM Local 1414 prepare for negotiations with the City of San Francisco and San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency as part of WWW’s Preparation for Bargaining Committee class. Pictured from left to right, IAM Local 1414 members Levi Williams, Vernon Ting, Bruce Keller, Gary Hall, Danny Humrich, Usbaldo Gonzalez, Business Representative/Organizer Arthur Gonzalez, Local 1414 Vice President Rich Bernal, and Rob Bergesen.

IAM-represented city and county workers of San Francisco along with San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (MTA) employees are preparing for tough negotiations.

The 350 members of IAM Local 1414 maintain and repair cable cars, street cars, buses, fire engines, trucks, backhoes, dumpers, loaders and cars. They also maintain the sewer plant, port equipment and the world-renowned Hetch Hetchy water system.

The negotiating team met at the William W. Winpisinger Center to train, plan and build negotiating strategies for the upcoming negotiations. The week-long Negotiation Preparation for Bargaining Committee class gave the committee a jump start by providing training in proposal analysis, labor law and collective bargaining tactics.

The week concluded with a negotiations simulation. The committee members took turns filling in as lead negotiator for the committee. IAM Education Representative Rhonda Rodgers served as lead negotiator for the company, putting the committee through the paces by proposing takeaways that struck a nerve with the committee members.

Participants said the simulation felt real and they are now more prepared than ever.

“After spending years on the city negotiating team, this is the best prepared I have ever felt,” said committee member Bruce Keller.

“We now have a better foundation,” said committee member Gary Hall. “We were rookies in the last negotiation. Now we are a closer group, more together.”

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